Make a Wish more than a striper tournament

MARC FOLCO, Catchin' Anything?

Saturday

Sep 20, 2003 at 12:01 AMJan 13, 2011 at 3:26 AM

The New England Fuel Institute's Annual Make A Wish Foundation Benefit Tournament will be held out of Falmouth on Monday, Sept. 29. Entry is $275 per angler and includes a spot on either a charter or private boat. It also includes dinner at the Flying Bridge Restaurant on Sunday, following a captain's meeting and preceding a live auction and raffle. Participants also get breakfast on Monday morning, a box lunch to take on the boat, and the awards ceremony dinner.

"All you need to do is secure lodging for Sunday night if necessary," said Todd MacGregor, benefit committee member and captain of the charter boat, MacAtac, out of Fairhaven. "And it's not just a striper tournament. Several charter captains and many private boat owners have donated their boats for the benefit and there will be awards for all kinds of species, including most fish, biggest fish, etc. Some of the parties are even going offshore."

The tournament kicks off with a captain's meeting on Sunday at 5 p.m. Fishing begins on Monday with lines in at 630 a.m. and lines out by 230 p.m. with all boats at the dock by 4. It's a catch and release tournament where each boat gets a camera and tape measure to document each entry. Keeping the fish for personal use is optional.

"It's for a good cause," said Capt. MacGregor. "And it's not expensive if you think about it. You get a day of fishing on a charter boat (or private boat) and meals at the Flying Bridge. The benefit is held in Falmouth every other year and in 2001 we raised just over $25,000. We have 100 anglers registered already and we hope to top $40,000 this year."

To register, call Jack Sullivan at the New England Fuel Institute at (617) 924-1000.

SLAM STRIKES OUT against ISABEL

The American Striper Association's (ASA) Massachusetts Striper Slam tournament, hosted by M&D's Tackle in Wareham and ProLine Boats, that was scheduled for this weekend has been postponed due to high seas associated with Hurricane Isabel.

The tournament will be held Oct. 4-5, with a captain's meeting Oct. — at 8 p.m. Anglers can leave from any port with lines in at 7 a.m. each morning. Fish must be weighed in by 5 p.m. on the Saturday and — p.m. on the Sunday, at Bessey Park in Wareham.

A $5,000 grand prize plus cash prizes through 10th place will be up for grabs, along with sponsor gifts and raffle prizes. Each boat may weigh-in one fish per day. "Whichever team gets the most points for their two fish for the two days, gets the grand prize," said Mike Thomas, owner of M&D's.

Registration is $250 per boat and you may register at M&D's on Main Street in Wareham, just before The Narrows. You can visit the ASA Web site at www.fishasa.com.

IT'S TAUTOG TIME

Tautog fishing has really picked up the past week with lots of five- and six-pound fish coming in. The best bait is green crabs fished over rocky bottom. The hotspots have been the rocky waters off West Island and , Cleveland's Ledge and the Yankee Wreck. The daily bag limit for recreational fishermen is three fish and the minimum size is 16 inches.

Schools of bluefish in the four- to six-pound range continue to abound in Buzzards Bay. Mixed in with the blues are a few bonito, Spanish mackerel and false albacore. These three species sometimes can be caught as incidentals on topwater plugs when casting for blues, but they're more difficult to catch and prefer shiny jigs on a fast retrieve. They're tearing up schools of peanut bunker and as long as the bait stays in the bay, so will these gamefish.

Snapper blues are still invading area rivers, bays and harbors. Bigger blues weighing 12-15 pounds are coming in at Quicks's Hole. It's also been a good spot for stripers the past week, along with the backside of Nashawena. Stripers also are closer to shore at Wilke's Ledge.

School bluefin tuna in the 20- to 40-pound range have been schooling up from Buzzards Bay Light to Sakonnet Point.

JUNIOR GETS HIS PIN

Ten-year old Steven Villa Jr. of Fairhaven weighed in a one-pound, one-ounce bluegill at John's Bait and Tackle last weekend, qualifying for a bronze pin in the Mass. Sportsfishing Awards Program. Villa caught the fish, along with a three-pound rainbow trout on grass shrimp, while fishing for smallmouth bass at Ashumet Pond.

Marc Folco is the Standard-Times' outdoor writer. E-mail him at

This story appeared on Page B5 of The Standard-Times on September 20, 2003.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.